Rapper Lil Poppa Dies At 25

Lil Poppa, a fast-rising American rapper signed to Yo Gotti’s label, has died at the age of 25, only a few days after dropping a new track.

Lil Poppa, whose real name is Janarious Mykel Wheeler, passed away at 11:23 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner in Atlanta, Georgia.

The office confirmed his death but did not release details about what caused it, as first reported by TMZ.

The Jacksonville, Florida native was widely recognized for his song “Love & War”. Just last Friday, he released a new single titled “Out Of Town Bae”.

Following the confirmation of his death, worried fans rushed to his social media pages searching for confirmation, with many leaving emotional messages, hoping the news was not true.

On Tuesday night, hours before his death was announced, he shared what would become his final Instagram story.

In the video, the rapper appeared to be riding in a car while playing a song, ‘Letting it go,’ by Rod Wave.

Lil Poppa was signed to Collective Music Group, the label founded by Yo Gotti, which also represents artists such as GloRilla. He began putting out music around 2017 while still in his teens, according to his Spotify profile.

His songs often focused on relationships, emotional struggles, and personal pain.

His Instagram bio carried a heavy message about life and suffering, reflecting the themes he frequently explored in his music. His Instagram bio read: “First We’re Born, Next We Suffer, Then We Die… The End!!”

In the weeks leading up to his death, he actively promoted Out Of Town Bae. At the same time, he posted a preview of another track with lyrics admitting that “No, I’m Not Alright.”

“I could say I’m doing just fine, but that’s not true,” were the lyrics.

The single Out Of Town Bae was officially released on February 13. He had been scheduled to perform in New Orleans in March to celebrate his birthday.

Known for his emotional storytelling and raw lyrics, Lil Poppa started rapping in church with friends and his older brother.

By age 12, he had set up a small recording space in his bedroom closet, using a laptop and a basic microphone to create his early songs.

His career gained major attention in 2018 when his independently released track Purple Hearts reached 2.3 million views on YouTube. That same year, he also drew attention with Nightmare on Elm St.

Purple Hearts was inspired by the loss of a close friend in a shooting incident. A later video explaining the real-life events behind the song has since gained millions more views.

At the time of his death, Lil Poppa had more than 960,000 followers on Instagram and over 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

KanyiDaily also reported how Nigerian singer Afeez Adeshina, popularly known as Destiny Boy, died at 22 years old.